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Post to the west Woolwich Common
Post to the south Shooters Hill
Academy Road
Royal Military
Academy. The
Royal Military Academy
itself was founded in 1741 in the buildings in the Royal Arsenal which later became
the Royal Laboratory Model Room. The Academy was given a
site of its own away from the river on Woolwich Common in 1805, when James
Wyatt erected this grand pile. The Academy moved
there in 1808 although some cadets were still at The Warren in 1882. They were trained here for both the Royal
Artillery and the Royal Engineers. The Regimental Museum
was also here. The whole institution was
known
as 'The Shop'. In 1946 it was merged
with Sandhurst. It is a large battlemented complex in Tudor style
overlooking Woolwich Common. It has a front built c.
1720 ft which is long, symmetrical, and consists of a centre block with two
side blocks. The centre block, had four
corner turrets crowned by cupolas in imitation of the White Tower
and it is connected by plain one-storeyed arcades, with four-centred arches, to
the side parts which have nine bays each. Behind the centre lies the great
hall. The end pavilions date from the later c 19, in red brick and stone
dressings, they extend back around the inner buildings. The Chapel dates from 1902
and is by Major Hemming, R.E. It has a stained
glass window by Christopher Whall, 1920. The centre block, of stock brick, has four octagonal corner turrets and
ogee shaped cupolas; the ground floor windows are Tudor and the upper floor
windows Gothic. This block is linked by stuccoed arcades to two stock brick
ranges of the same period, which are in turn linked by arcades to red brick end
pavilions, which with the red brick side ranges were added in 1862. The heavily
battlemented red brick lodges are of 1877. The complex in part preserves its
original railings. There are three splendid entrance gates, two on Academy Road
on the west side and one (ornamented with gilt crockets) at the foot of Red
Lion Lane on the east side. Many of the buildings preserve beautiful original
projecting lamp-holders. In front of the centre block are several old guns,
including two Dutch guns of 1614 and 1630 with very fine decoration, two 17th
century Chinese guns, cannon of 1719, a late 18th century French gun, and
British cannon of 1812. In the arcades on either side are a number of old
mortars - French and Italian 17th century mortars and Russian mortars of c1800.
At the very front of the parade ground are more modern guns, including some
Russian guns captured during the Gulf War. In a courtyard to the rear of the
centre block is an unusual Penfold hexagonal pillar box c1872. The rear of the
complex has another range, with two large archways, of the original building of
1806, flanked by ranges of 1862. The centre block housed the Royal Artillery
Museum on the upper floor, and the library of the Royal Artillery Institution
on the ground floor. The library is open to the public only by special
appointment. The Museum, covering the history and the campaigns of the Royal
Artillery Regiment from its founding in 1716 to the present day, closed to the
public in 1995. With the closure of the Museum, there is no longer any public
access to the complex; however, there are good views of the buildings from
outside. Sold for housing 2006.
Chapel. Plain red brick Academy Chapel of 1902, with a
splendid stained glass west window by Christopher Whall 1920; in 1945 it became
the Royal Garrison Church of St Michael & All Angels. On the ground in
front is a great stone First World War memorial laid by the Woolwich &
District branch of the Old Contemptibles Association. The church was built for
£8,000. At this time it was simply brick work. When the base at Addiscombe was
closed parts of their chapel, including the wooden choirs, were transferred to
the Academy. Consequently, the decorations include items from the East India
Company and the Royal Ordnance Corps. The stained glass window with St George,
St Andrew and St David flanking Christ in the apse comes from there. In the reredos Christ blesses Doubting
Thomas. The church had no organ and the current organ was introduced much
later. Where it stands today was once a gallery for the soldier staff of the
base. An old Toc H lamp is on display, one of the five Toc H lamps used on the
front line during the 1914-1918 war, and presented to the church by Edward, Prince
of Wales in 1926. The church was also intended as a campo santo for memorials
to graduates from the Academy who died in service and the walls are covered
with brass or copper plate commemorations to the cadets who never survived.
Regimental pendants and others commemorating battles hang on the wall.
"Some of these cadets were lucky to see three or four weeks after they
left the Academy," said the Verger. Kitchener was at the Academy and is
commemorated in the nave, which has a hammerbeam oak roof, giving the
appearance of an upturned ship's keel. The only memento of the 1939-1945 war is
a reef to Royal Artillery officers killed in action at the Battle of Kohima
against Japan. The magnificent stained glass window opposite the apse was
created by Christopher Whall in 1920. If you stand back and look carefully you
can see that the window portrays the very first artillery band in uniform and
gunners with their cannons who fought during the Napoleonic, Crimean and
1914-1918 wars. Badges of the Royal Engineers and the Royal Artillery, General
Bogard, as well as French and Belgian soldiers are included. The Archangel
Gabriel and St Michael are accompanied by cherubs.
War
Department boundary marker at the corner of Ha-Ha Road and Academy Road.
Married Officers' Quarters by the Austin-Smith Salmon Lord Partnership, 1969.
Gates Three sets
of wrought-iron
Barnfield Place. (Not on AZ)
Lotus Nursery Garden at south
end. (Booth)
Barnfield Road
71 Royal Oak
Belmont
Place.
Brent Road.
Steep hill running up to south.
Brinklow Crescent
Bronze Age
barrow. One of four or five originally. A round barrow. This prehistoric burial mound is the sole
survivor of several on Shooters Hill, the others having been destroyed in
building works in the 1930s.
Brookhill Row.
Bushmoor Crescent
Shrewsbury House.
Foundation stone in the museum.
Charles Earl of Shrewsbury laid in 1789.
House leased to Princess Charlotte, age three. Tutor Dr. Watson. 1851 boarding school and London County
Council home. Open to the public by Woolwich
Borough Council, 1934. Houses built by
Laing. Winsor and gasometers. A large building of 1923 in classical style,
near the site of an older house with the same name. Note the large front porch
on Ionic columns, and to the rear a curved porch also with Ionic columns. It is
now used as a community centre.
Shrewsbury Park
Estate. House 1923. Bought by LCC who sold the southern end of
the park to F.T.Halse, local builder. An attractively laid out 'garden suburb' style estate with several
greens, built in the grounds of Shrewsbury House in the 1930s
Shrewsbury Park. An extensive park with a wooded area and
wildlife sanctuary, its lower slopes giving excellent views over Plumstead,
Thamesmead and the Thames. It was once part of the grounds of Shrewsbury House,
which were purchased by the London County Council in 1928
Cantwell Road.
Cumberland Place.
Delvan
Street (not on az)
Dicey Street
(not on az)
In a valley, runs steeply uphill at
both north and south ends.
Edge Hill
In an elevated position overlooking
Plumstead Common Road. Developed in the 1860s; some houses have fine ornamental
features.
Eglinton Hill
100
133
Eglinton Road
Eglinton School 169-2
Genesta Road
Victorian wall letter box
85/91A c 20 terrace of four houses worth a glance: by Lubetkin and Pilichowski,
1934-5. The projecting window frames and curved concrete balconies are typical
of Lubetkin's work. The living rooms are on the first floor, approached by
spiral staircases. Britain’s only terrace of Modern
Movement.
Graydon Street. (Not on AZ)
Hanover Road
(not on az)
2-storey runs over crest of steep hill to the
north,
Hanover
Terrace (not on az)
Herbert Road
Herbert Estate
Co-op Reading room and
library, 1902
106 Vicarage
89/133 Herbert Terrace
St.Joseph's, RC
47 Lord Herbert
51
War Department
boundary marker. At the junction of Herbert Road and Red Lion Lane disappeared when the "Academy"
estate was built there in 1987.
James
Street (not on az)
John's Place (not on az)
Keemor
Street (not on az)
Nightingale Place
Was
Nightingale Lane
Runs downhill to the north and has a
dip into a deep valley on its east side.
Old tollhouse on east side by Belmont Place. 2-storey,
A Gospel Hall on west side.
Hables Cottages.
Nightingale Vale,
Valley of the medicinal
steam on Shooters Hill
Woolwich Common
Estate. Built 1975 on the site of the Barrack Tavern
and regency housing - Including 1 Kemp Place which was the birthplace of
General Gordon. The jagged,
restless and tiered frontage of this large estate built 1968-82 overlooks
Woolwich Common and Nightingale Place; it is a complex incorporating several
architectural styles. The tiered terraces are 1980-82. A dramatically sloping
site, a demonstration of changing ideals from the 1960s to the 1970s. The earlier, lower blocks are of 1967-70, V.
H. Hards. The more recent phases, R. L. Dickinson, include a variety of
buildings: stepped-back terraces facing the common, 1975-82, in the style that
Darbourne & Darke made popular in the late 1960s; further terraces with
monopitch roofs, running with a jerky rhythm down the hill; and a yellow brick
shopping parade with a community hall at one end, a pleasant building with day
centre below and an upper clerestory-lit hall approached by a generous
staircase. Completed 1979.
Nightingale Heights The tall block c1969, - attractively restored
and refurbished in 1994, with an elegantly curved roof which is the boiler
house for a new central heating system. This centrepiece is one of the
twenty-four-storey towers of industrialized construction 1968-71.
Long Walk. 1979. Long Walk includes a long terrace stepped
up to a tall tower as it climbs the hillside, and incorporates a winding
pedestrian walkway at an upper level
Woolwich Common cavern. 40' deep and 30'
across opened up in November 1979. The road gave way after a cement lorry had
passed the spot. At the surface, the hole
was only 6' to 8' in diameter but widened to 30' lower down. 'Experts think the collapse could have been caused
by an underground stream.""
Nithdale Road
a hilly waste over the Plumstead marshes. Bricks made from the
foundations dug for the houses
Ordnance
Road.
Paget Road.
Plumstead
Plumstead Common Road
Foxhill Centre A pleasant small red brick building with a
Dutch gable' octagonal cupola and much
fine ornamental detail. Appearance is spoiled by modern tile-cladding on the
upper floor,
Foxhill Junior School 1881, one storeyed, with cupola, Dutch gable, and terracotta
ornament.
26/28 Plumstead Common Road, a pair probably of the
1830s; no 26 is stuccoed and has an ornamental fanlight.
63/65 Plumstead Common Road, a brick pair of the
1840s. No 63 is well preserved, no 65 spoiled by later alterations.
71/81 form a unified sequence of cubic houses, with
rusticated and stuccoed ground floors. Attractive, of the mid 19th century
83/89 are two tall pairs with pedimented windows and
projecting porches. Attractive, of the mid 19th century.
Plume of Feathers, early c 18 altered.
Runs uphill steeply to the east. Old
road, improves eastwards near the Common. Into Plumstead Common Road.
Portland Place (not on az)
Princes Road (not on az)
At the south end is a brick- built column that looks as though meant for
a Jubilee clock but it is only an escape for sewer gas. Poor (Booth)
Ripon Road
All Saints 1956 by T. F. Ford, replacing a bombed church begun in 1873. Brick,
with a small tower with octagonal top; Greek cross plan; primly eclectic
details. Mural by Hans Feibusch
1860s 2-storey. Some servants. Opposite is All Saints Church
(Rev Morris). J (Booth)
Ritter
Street
Rocket Row (not on az)
Westdale road.
Whitworth
Road.
Woolwich Common Estate 1970
Nightingale Heights
Long Walk
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